Support for information and communication activities aiming at ending violence against women

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL JUSTICE Directorate A Unit A4 : Programme Management SPECIFIC PROGRAMME "PROGRESS" ( ) SECTION 5 GENDER EQUALITY Support for information and communication activities aiming at ending violence against women RESTRICTED CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR ACTION GRANTS JUST/2012/PROG/AG/VAW Deadline: 16 May 2013, 12:00 (noon) CET

2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction The PROGRESS programme EU-activities on violence against women EU-activities on violence against women in Scope of the call Objectives of the call Priorities of the call Type of activities Duration of the activities Budget and Financial Provisions Conditions for participation Who may APPLY? Evaluation criteria Exclusion Criteria Eligibility Criteria Selection criteria Award criteria Application documents to be submitted Deadline for submitting applications Guide for applicants Helpdesk Indicative Timetable Additional information to prepare the application Communication campaign coordinator Communication and dissemination plan Monitoring and evaluation of the activities Additional Conditions for the Implementation of Selected Actions General requirements on how the activities shall be carried out Publicity and Information Requirements Reporting Requirements Information on Partners Dissemination of the project results ANNEX I CONTACT POINT OF GENDER EQUALITY AT NATIONAL LEVEL ANNEX II - OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK

3 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. The PROGRESS programme PROGRESS 1 is the EU employment and social solidarity programme, set up to provide financial support for the attainment of the European Union s objectives in employment, social affairs and equal opportunities as set out in the Social Agenda 2, as well as to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. This new strategy, which has a strong social dimension, aims at turning the EU into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy delivering high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion. The European Union needs coherent and complementary contributions from different policy strands, methods and instruments, including the PROGRESS programme, to support the Member States in delivering on the Europe 2020 s goals. The PROGRESS mission is to strengthen the EU's contribution in support of Member States' commitments and efforts to create more and better jobs and to build a more cohesive society. To this effect, PROGRESS is instrumental in: Providing analysis and policy advice on PROGRESS policy areas; Monitoring and reporting on the implementation of EU legislation and policies in PROGRESS policy areas; Promoting policy transfer, learning and support among Member States on EU objectives and priorities; and Relaying the views of the stakeholders and society at large. More specifically, PROGRESS supports: The implementation of the European Employment Strategy (section 1); The implementation of the open method of coordination in the field of social protection and inclusion (section 2); The improvement of the working environment and conditions including health and safety at work and reconciling work and family life (section 3); The effective implementation of the principle of non-discrimination and promotion of its mainstreaming in all EU policies (section 4); The effective implementation of the principle of gender equality and promotion of its mainstreaming in all EU policies (section 5). IMPORTANT NOTE 1: This call for proposals is open only for national ministries or national equality bodies (see section 4). Funding for NGOs for activities to prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims and groups at risk is available in the framework of the Daphne III Programme. More information about the Daphne III Programme is available on the European Commission's website: Decision No 1672/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity Progress, JO L 315 of Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Renewed social agenda: Opportunities, access and solidarity in 21st century Europe COM/2008/0412 final of

4 1.2. EU-activities on violence against women Call for proposals JUST/2012/PROG/AG/VAW Equality between men and women has been a fundamental principle of the European Union since its inception. It is a political objective, but also an economic one, as gender equality is crucial in helping the EU achieve its goal for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The European Union has various tools at its disposal for promoting equality between men and women: on the one hand, specific measures such as legislation and financial support; on the other hand, the integration of the gender perspective in all policies. Gender-based violence affects women and girls disproportionately; it is a violation of human rights and a consequence, as well as an obstacle to gender equality. Gender-based violence "includes violence in close relationships, sexual violence (including rape, sexual assault and harassment), trafficking in human beings, slavery, and different forms of harmful practices, such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation and so-called honour crimes. Women victims of gender-based violence and their children often require special support and protection because of the high risk of secondary and repeat victimisation, of intimidation and of retaliation connected with such violence" 3. The Commission's Strategy for Equality between Women and Men for the period sets a clear goal for ending gender-based violence. The Action Plan implement the Stockholm Programme 5 puts emphasis on the protection of victims of crime, including female victims of violence and genital mutilation. The Directive 2012/29 adopted on 25 October 2012, establishes minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime. With this new directive, the rights of victims are reinforced at all stages of the criminal proceedings - from the police investigation until the final judgment. These new measures will have a positive impact, especially on women who suffer from various forms of violent and sexual crime. The European Pact for Gender Equality 6, adopted in March 2011 by the Council of ministers, called on the Member States to combat all forms of violence against women. Within the framework of the Daphne Programme to combat violence against children, young people and women and protect victims and groups at risk, the Commission provides financial support to European partnerships and networks of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local public entities that are active in the field of combating violence. The Programme was established in 1997 and it has funded until now a wide range of projects and networks throughout Europe. The Programme is now in its third phase ( ) and has a total budget of EUR million EU-activities on violence against women in 2013 In 2013, the European Commission will be launching a communication effort on all forms of violence against women, specially focussing on elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) and on the rights of women victims of gender-based violence. 3 Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA

5 This will comprise this restricted call for proposals and an umbrella of activities at European level, including a website on the DG JUST portal, visuals and slogans. Finally, decentralised awareness raising activities will also be financed through the 2013 call for proposals for action grants under the Daphne III Programme. The priorities of this call for proposals will include violence linked to harmful practices (including FGM) and awareness-raising on violence against women, targeted at and/or accessible for most vulnerable groups of women SCOPE OF THE CALL 2.1. Objectives of the call This call for proposals aims to support national actors in developing and implementing information and communication activities aiming at ending violence against women and girls (VAW) in the PROGRESS participating countries 8. It also aims at achieving the objectives of ending violence against women defined at EU level, in particular in the Commission's Strategy for equality between women and men and the European Pact for gender equality Priorities of the call The actions to be funded under this call for proposals must fall under one of the following priorities and must demonstrate a clear EU-added value: 1. Spread a clear message about zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women and girls (Code: INFO) 2. Inform women and girls victims of violence about their right to a life free of violence (Code: VICT) 3. Inform, communicate and give training on female genital mutilation (Code: FGM). Applicants must indicate clearly on their application form in PRIAMOS which one of the above main priorities their proposal addresses Type of activities This call for proposals will provide funding for effective national and/or transnational activities aimed at: encouraging victims and witnesses to report violence to the relevant authorities and institutions. Campaigns may be targeted to specific groups of women and girls (for example young women, pregnant women, the elderly, migrants and ethnic minorities, refugees, disabled). training relevant professionals (e.g. within health services, education, the judiciary, the police, etc.) in order to ensure adequate registration, investigation and prosecution of all forms of violence against women; 7 For more information on the 2013 Daphne III Call for proposals for action grants, please consult the relevant website: 8 See below under 4. 5

6 disseminating messages about zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women and girls, in particular targeted to men and boys; informing the relevant communities in the EU that female genital mutilation is prohibited and prosecuted, and that the procedure has severe short-term and long-term physical and psychological consequences for women; informing and supporting professionals dealing with victims or potential victims of female genital mutilation (e.g. within public services, health services, education, child protection services, the judiciary, the police, etc.). In the context of this call for proposals, activities may include development and implementation of: campaigns 9, exhibitions, education and training programmes, teaching and learning material, including translating, adapting and disseminating material developed in other countries and/or by European / international organisations (i.e. printed, electronic, audio-visual and online material), exchange of experiences and good practice, seminars and conferences, information days at public or private institutions (e.g. schools, universities, hospitals, police stations, etc.) Activities making use of social media are encouraged. DG JUSTICE will support both new actions designed for the purposes of this call and actions that complement already existing activities, provided that: - the actions correspond to priorities of the call; - the added-value of EU-funding is clearly discernible; - the EU dimension of the fight against violence against women is made visible; - Activities already funded under another EU programme (e.g. European Social Fund, the Prevention of and Fight against Crime programme or the Daphne III programme) cannot be funded under this call for proposals Duration of the activities The activities may have a maximum initial duration of 24 months. Project activities should begin in As a general rule, selected projects will start once the Grant Agreement is signed by both parties or on an agreed specific date given in the Grant Agreement. A grant may be awarded for an action which has already begun only where the applicant can demonstrate the added 9 Applicants are encouraged to consult the results of existing good practice: 6

7 value- of starting the action before the grant is awarded. In any case the starting date of the project cannot be set before the date of submission of the proposals. Expenditure is eligible from the starting date of the project. Any costs incurred before that date are not eligible. 3. BUDGET AND FINANCIAL PROVISIONS The indicative available funding for this call for proposals is Each participating country can submit one application as main applicant/beneficiary 10. The requested grant should not be higher than or lower than Priority for funding will be given to proposals requesting grants of at least Only projects that do not aim to generate a profit will be eligible for funding. The maximum EU contribution to any application may not exceed 80% of the action's total eligible costs. The beneficiaries must co-finance the remaining 20%. Contributions in kind are not accepted as part of co-financing. The Commission, if it deems necessary, can make reductions to the budget proposed for certain actions. 4. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION WHO MAY APPLY? This call is only addressed to specific national authorities of the PROGRESS participating countries: The applicant/beneficiary must be: OR OR the national ministry in charge of the policy on equality between women and men in one of the PROGRESS participating countries; the national body responsible for gender equality at national level ("Equality Body" according to Directive 2002/73/EC) in one of the PROGRESS participating countries and mandated by the national authority in charge of the policy on equality between women and men to submit a proposal; another national ministry in one of the PROGRESS participating countries. Priority will be given to the national ministry in charge of the policy on equality between women and men (or to the mandated national body responsible for gender equality at national level). But if this ministry chooses not to submit a proposal and not to mandate the national body responsible for gender equality at national level, the application can be submitted by another national ministry. 10 Additionally, organisations from any participating country may participate with no limitation as partners/co-beneficiaries or associate partners in any application under this call. For more information please see the relevant section in the Guide for Applicants. 7

8 IMPORTANT NOTE 2: The PROGRESS participating countries are the 27 EU Member States, the EFTA-EEA countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway), and the candidate and potential candidate countries participating in PROGRESS (Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). The applicants are strongly encouraged to involve in their action key players in the field at national and/or European level as partners (for example local or regional public services, health services, education services, child protection services, the judiciary, the police etc ). The role and responsibility of the partners in the action should be clearly defined in the "Project Description and Implementation Form" (template in Annex 1 in PRIAMOS). The partners/co-beneficiaries must be: Public organisations or private non-profit oriented organisations duly established in the same PROGRESS participating country as the applicant at the time of the submission of the application; OR A national ministry from another PROGRESS participating country or a national body responsible for gender equality at national level ("Equality Body" according to Directive 2002/73/EC) from another PROGRESS participating country. IMPORTANT NOTE 3: If the applicant decides to include partners in its activity, then if the project is selected for funding a multi-beneficiary grant agreement will be signed. Both the applicant and the partners form parties to the multi-beneficiary grant agreement and they share contractual and financial responsibility towards the Commission for the proper and timely implementation of all activities foreseen in the project. The costs partners incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the applicant. If the project is implemented by a partnership and not only by the applicant, the applicant will be the sole contact point for the Commission and it will be the applicant's obligation to ensure proper coordination of the partners and of the activities. There is no limitation in the number of partners that can be included in a partnership, but the Commission strongly advices the applicants to limit the number of partners to those necessary for the implementation of the activities, taking into account the duration of the action and the available funding. If the applicant will have to conclude contracts with third parties in order to carry out a limited part of the activities, it shall justify this working method in the "Project Description and Implementation Form" (template in Annex 1 in PRIAMOS) and duly respect the subcontracting rules in the guide for applicants attached to this call for proposals. 8

9 Actions through which the beneficiaries use the budget of the project to award grants to other organisations under their own procedures and authority (Financial support to third parties) cannot be financed under this call for proposals. 5. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated by an evaluation committee made up of Commission staff. The submitted proposals will be evaluated solely against exclusion, eligibility, selection and award criteria Exclusion Criteria The applicant and partners must certify that they are not in one of the situations listed in Articles 106(1), 107 and 109(2)(a) of the Financial Regulation 11. A full list of these circumstances is included in the Application Form and in the Partner Declaration Form. By submission of an application via PRIAMOS, the applicants declare that they are not in one of the situations Eligibility Criteria Proposals will be declared ineligible if they do not respect one or more of the following criteria. If a proposal is declared ineligible, it will not be considered for further evaluation and a rejection letter to that effect will be sent to the applicant. 1) The grant application must be submitted through PRIAMOS no later than the deadline set in the call for proposals (16 May 2013, 12:00 (noon) CET); 2) Projects cannot have already been completed nor started prior to the deadline of the call; 3) The applicant/beneficiary and the partners must be eligible to participate in accordance with section 4 of this call; 4) Each participating country can submit only one application as main applicant/beneficiary. In case of multiple applications submitted by organisations from the same Member State, the eligible proposal will be determined on the basis of the following priority list: 1. the national ministry in charge of the policy on equality between women and men in one of the PROGRESS participating countries; 2. the national body responsible for gender equality at national level ("Equality Body" according to Directive 2002/73/EC) in one of the PROGRESS participating countries, only if it is mandated by the national authority in charge of the policy on equality between women and men; 3. another national ministry in one of the PROGRESS participating countries. 11 Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 9

10 5) The amount of Union funding requested cannot exceed 80% of the total eligible costs of the project. The 20% co-financing borne by the applicant and/or the partners and/or other donors should be indicated in the application form and the appropriate annexes, but also in the budget which must be balanced; IMPORTANT NOTE 4: Once the eligibility verification procedure is completed, the Commission will inform rejected applicants of the reasons for non-eligibility of their proposals Selection criteria Only organisations with the necessary operational and financial capacity may be awarded a grant. Operational capacity to complete the proposed action: The applicant/beneficiary and partners/co-beneficiaries must have the operational resources (technical, management) and the professional skills and qualifications needed to successfully complete the proposed action, as well as the ability to implement it. The applicant/beneficiary must have a strong track record of competence and experience in the field and in particular in the type of action proposed. This will be assessed on the basis of the CVs of staff involved in the action and of the annual narrative/technical report (if applicable). Financial capacity to carry out the action: The assessment of financial capacity will not apply to public bodies. If the applicant is not a public body, the following criterion must be fulfilled: Access to solid and adequate funding to maintain its activities for the period of the action and to help finance it as necessary; This will be assessed on the basis of the applicant's balance sheets and profit and loss accounts for the last two years Award criteria The award criteria aim to ensure the selection of actions with high inherent quality, which contribute as much as possible to the priorities set in in this call in a cost-effective manner. The applications will be assessed against the following criteria: a) Relevance and degree to which the proposed activities meet the purpose and follow the guidelines of the call for proposals, including the EU added value of the activities. The proposals must address one of the following priorities: 10

11 Spread a clear message about zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women Inform women and girls victims of violence of their right to a life without violence Inform, communicate and give training on female genital mutilation. Clarity of the presentation of the background, aims and expected results of the project; Priority for funding will be given to proposals requesting grants of at least ; (30 points). b) Identification of the needs of the target group and definition of a clear and appropriate strategy to meet these needs and achieve the project objectives; (20 points). c) Scope and effectiveness of dissemination methods; (10 points). d) Clarity and feasibility of the work programme, including distribution of tasks, timetable, and methodology; (20 points). e) Quality of the mechanisms for on-going monitoring and final evaluation taking into account the evaluation guidelines (section 11.3.); (10 points). f) Cost-efficiency and financial feasibility of the action proposed by means of a realistic, reasonable and balanced budget; (10 points). IMPORTANT NOTE 5: Proposals that do not attain an overall score of 70 points shall not be considered for the award of a grant. Once the evaluation procedure is completed, including the opinion of the Programme Committee and the adoption of the Commission decision, the Commission will inform each applicant of the final decision taken and of the next steps. 6. APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED This call is managed via PRIAMOS, an on-line system for the submission of applications, which requires applicants to fill in a Grant Application Form and to attach to it all required annexes. The reference in PRIAMOS for the Grant Application Form to be used under this call for proposals is: JUST/2012/PROG/AG/VAW The Grant Application Form must be uploaded in PRIAMOS before the deadline. No applications (partial or entire) submitted on paper, fax or will be considered. If the applicant submits more than one version of the application package, only the latest version submitted is taken into consideration for the evaluation. The applicants must use the templates provided by the Commission for submitting the following annexes: 11

12 Annex 1. Annex 2. Annex 3. Project description and Implementation Form; Budget form; Partner Declaration Form (includes declaration on exclusion criteria) (if relevant); IMPORTANT NOTE 6: Please note that the Partner Declaration Form must be duly dated, signed and scanned before it is attached to the Grant Application Form. In addition, applicants must submit the following supporting documents using their own format: Annex 4. Curriculum vitae of key staff performing the work in connection with the project 12 ; Annex 5. Official annual financial statements (Balance sheet and/or Profit and loss account) for the past 2 years that demonstrate the applicant's financial capacity; Annex 6. Evidence of the applicant's legal status: articles of association or statutes, proof of legal registration, VAT registration. Annex 7. Last available annual technical/narrative report of the applicant and of the partner(s), describing the activities of the organisation during the last available year; Annex 8. Communication plan (see section 11.2); Annex 9. Monitoring and evaluation plan (see section 11.3); Annex 10. Mandate (dated, signed and scanned before it is attached to the Grant Application Form) from the national authority in charge of the policy on equality between women and men. This document is requested only if the applicant is the national body responsible for gender equality at national level. IMPORTANT NOTES 7: Annexes 5, 6 and 7 are not requested if the applicant is a public body. 7. DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS Applications must be completed and submitted via PRIAMOS by: 16 May 2013, 12:00 (noon) CET 12 The Commission strongly suggests that these are presented in the EUROPASS CV format: 12

13 IMPORTANT NOTE 8: Please note that, although the PRIAMOS system is able to handle a high number of applications at the same time, it is advisable NOT to wait until the last moment to register on the system and submit your application. 8. GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS Please read the Guide for applicants carefully, as it contains all details required for applying. It is considered as an integral part of the conditions of this call for proposals. 9. HELPDESK Questions regarding this call for proposals may be sent by to the address below: JUST-PROGRESS@ec.europa.eu Questions regarding registration and application via PRIAMOS may be sent to: HOME-JUST-PRIAMOS-USM@ec.europa.eu Please consult also the PRIAMOS self-learning materials: The Commission shall reply according to the Code of good administrative behaviour within 15 working days from receipt of the question. In the interest of equal treatment of applicants, the Commission cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an applicant, a partner or an action or on the outcome of the call before the official publication of results. 10. INDICATIVE TIMETABLE Publication of the call for proposals 6 March 2013 Deadline of the call for proposals 16 May :00 (noon) CET Information to ineligible applicants Third quarter 2013 Information to the selected applicants Third quarter of 2013 Finalisation and signature of grant agreements Fourth quarter of ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO PREPARE THE APPLICATION The applicants are invited to take note of the following information while preparing their applications Communication campaign coordinator The Commission would like to establish a clear link between the national activities financed by this call and the EU level activities. A Commission campaign coordinator will both gather information on the advancement of the projects and provide beneficiaries with guidance if needed. One of the coordinators' tasks is to highlight best practices and success stories among the projects financed through this call. 13

14 11.2. Communication and dissemination plan Call for proposals JUST/2012/PROG/AG/VAW Adequate communication and dissemination of results is essential in ensuring the EU added value of the action and its sustainability after the funding has ended. Information-giving and awareness raising are key activities to ensure that other interested parties benefit from the project and can create new opportunities to extend it or develop new partnerships. The proposals must therefore include a detailed plan for communication and dissemination of the projects' results. In particular, such a plan must include information on dissemination activities and targeted audiences. The proposal should provide a clear description of the activities to be funded in the form of a communication plan including at least the following elements: 1. Communication needs and objectives: What are the communication needs of the project applicant? What are the general and specific objectives of the activities? The objectives should be aligned with the priorities of the call (as defined in section 2.2.), they should address actual problems experienced by the target group and they should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). 2. Target groups and multipliers: What are the target groups? Which stakeholders or other organisations could possibly be supporters and multipliers of the communication activities? 3. Key messages: Which messages will the activities convey in order to meet the communication objectives? It is essential that the messages do not stigmatise any specific group (for example ethnic minorities). It is also encouraged not to reproduce or spread gender stereotypes. 4. Distribution channels: Which tools will be used to convey the messages defined? At final report stage, the beneficiary will be required to provide details about how and to whom the results, best practices and findings have been disseminated and how interested parties have been involved in the project Monitoring and evaluation of the activities A monitoring system is to be established for a continued and informed steering of the activities. This monitoring will also serve to collect information about the short-term effects and potential lessons from the activity. The evaluation costs are eligible and should be included in the proposal. It is recommended that the monitoring plan includes, as minimum: The list of indicators that will be used to measure the reach and coverage of the communication activities (examples of relevant output indicators are provided under) An indication of what data will be collected and at what moments The methods of data collection How findings will be analysed and reported The following guidelines provide an indication of the type of information that beneficiaries could collect for different activities developed and implemented. It also provides an indication of the type of methods that could be used to collect this information. 14

15 EVALUATION GUIDELINES Activity Examples of output indicators Methods Events, trainings with target groups Distribution of printed material (e.g. brochures, publications, posters, handbooks, etc.) Websites Video clips - number and type of events organised by beneficiaries and/or by partners - number of attendants (in total and per target group) - profile of attendants (e.g. age, gender, organisation, region/city, etc.) - number and type of material distributed during and after the events - views and opinions of the target group(s) about the event - number and type of material distributed by beneficiaries and/or by partners - distribution channels for the different materials (e.g. events, training acivities, support services, schools, police stations, partners, etc.) - number of requests for the different type of material - profile and location of the people that received the material - number of page views - number of unique visitors - number of downloads of important downloadable documents - views and opinions of website users about the site - number of views - target views - play-to-end rate - click through to web site rate - Registration lists at the events containing basic information on attendants - Monitoring template used by beneficiaries to register information on each event (e.g. date, theme/topic, location, duration, target group(s), profile and number of attendants, material distributed, etc.) - On the spot surveys (i.e. short questionnaire (2 or 3 questions) distributed to attendants to fill in after the event) - Online surveys (i.e. online questionnaire (10 to 12 questions) sent to attendants shortly after the event) - Monitoring template used by beneficiaries to register information on the material distributed (e.g. number and type of material distributed, distribution channel, target group(s), etc.) - Simple monitoring template sent to partners to track information on the material distributed - Monitoring template used by beneficiaries to register information on the website - Google Analytics - Online survey displayed on the website (10 to 12 questions at the most) to track users views and opinions - ex-ante evaluation with focus groups - Monitoring template used by beneficiaries to register information on the video clip s 15

16 Activity Examples of output indicators Methods - views and opinions of the target dissemination group(s) about the video clip - Google Analytics - Online survey sent to members of the target group (10 to 12 questions at the most) to track their views and opinions about the video clip - Focus groups with video clip viewers News packages - number of use of the news package on the local TV channels / radios - number of requests for such a news package (if not automatically distributed to all TV channels / radios) - Monitoring template used by national beneficiaries to register information on the news packages 12. ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SELECTED ACTIONS The applicants are invited to take note of the following implementation requirements, which have to be respected by all actions selected for funding under the PROGRESS Programme. While planning their action and preparing their application, the applicants should take into account the following requirements and demonstrate in their proposal how these requirements will be respected at implementation stage General requirements on how the activities shall be carried out The PROGRESS Programme aims to promote gender mainstreaming in all its five policy sections and supported activities. Consequently, the applicant shall take the necessary steps to ensure that: Gender equality issues are taken into account when relevant for the drafting of the proposal by paying attention to the situation and needs of women and men; Implementation of proposed activities includes a gender perspective informed by a systematic consideration of the gender dimension; Performance monitoring includes the collection and gathering of data disaggregated by sex when needed; Its proposed team and/or staff respects the gender balance at all levels. Equally, the needs of disabled people shall be duly acknowledged and met while implementing the proposed activities. This will ensure in particular that where the applicant organises training sessions and conferences, issues publications or develops dedicated websites, people with disabilities will have equal access to the facilities or the services provided. Extra costs associated with the participation of people with disabilities are eligible. These costs may be required to cover the use, for example, of special means of transport, personal assistants or sign language interpreters. 16

17 Finally, the Commission encourages the applicants to promote equal employment opportunities for all its staff and team. This entails that the beneficiary is encouraged to foster an appropriate mix of people, whatever their ethnic origin, religion, age, and ability. The beneficiary will be required to detail in its final activity report the steps and achievements made towards meeting these contractual requirements Publicity and Information Requirements In accordance with the General conditions of the Grant Agreement to be signed with the Commission, all beneficiaries are under the obligation to acknowledge that their funded activity has received funding from the Union in all documents and media produced, in particular final delivered outputs, related reports, brochures, press releases, videos, software, etc, including at conferences or seminars. In the context of the European Union Programme PROGRESS, the following formulation shall be used: This (publication, conference, training session etc) is supported by the European Union Programme PROGRESS ( ). This programme is implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields. The seven-year Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across the EU-27, EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries. For more information see: For publications it is also necessary to include the following reference: "The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission". With regard to publication and any communication plan linked to the present activity, the beneficiary will insert the European Union logo and mention the European Commission as the Contracting Authority in every publication or related material developed under the present grant agreement Reporting Requirements PROGRESS is implemented through a results-based management (RBM). The Strategic Framework, developed in collaboration with the Member States, social partners and civil society organisations, sets out the intervention logic for PROGRESS-related expenditure and defines PROGRESS' mandate and its long-term and immediate outcomes. It is supplemented by performance measures which serve to determine the extent to which PROGRESS has delivered the expected results. See in Annex II the overview of PROGRESS performance measurement framework. For more information on the strategic framework, please visit PROGRESS website The Commission regularly monitors the effect of PROGRESS-supported initiatives and considers how they contribute to PROGRESS outcomes as defined in the Strategic Framework. In this context, the beneficiary will be asked to dedicatedly work in close cooperation with the Commission and/or persons authorised by it to define the expected 17

18 contribution and the set of performance measures which this contribution will be assessed against. As a direct contribution to the PROGRESS Annual Performance Monitoring Report, the beneficiary will be asked to submit a short quantitative questionnaire on the outputs produced over the course of a given calendar year. At the end of the action, the beneficiary will also be asked to report on its own performance to the Commission and/or persons authorised by it against a template which will be annexed to the grant agreement Information on Partners In order to increase the visibility of transnational partnerships established under PROGRESS and to facilitate networking between organisations involved in actions covered by PROGRESS grants, the Commission intends to publish the name and address of partners in PROGRESS-funded projects together with the name and address of the beneficiary, the reference of the call for proposals and the title and description of the project. To that purpose, the beneficiary will be asked to seek the partners' agreement to authorise the Commission to publish this data. This written agreement should be included in the Partner Declaration Forms sent to the Commission with the application form Dissemination of the project results To exploit and build on the results of the various projects implemented under this call and to promote exchanges at European level, beneficiaries may be invited by the European Commission to come and present the results of their project. Costs that may arise from doing so will not be borne by the beneficiary and therefore should not be included in the proposal. 18

19 ANNEX I CONTACT POINT OF GENDER EQUALITY AT NATIONAL LEVEL EU 27 AT Austria Alexandra WERBA Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection Sabine RAINER Federal Cancellery BE Belgium Carine JOLY Institut pour l'égalité des femmes et des hommes Instituut voor de gelijkheid van vrouwen en mannen BG Bulgária Irina IVANOVA Equal Opportunities, Antidiscrimination and Social Benefits Unit Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Ginka MASHOVA Equal Opportunities, Antidiscrimination and Social Benefits Unit Ministry of Labour and Social Policy CY Cyprus Dora CHARALAMBOUS Ministry of Justice and Public Order CZ Czech Republic Lucia ZACHARIASOVA Gender Equality Unit Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic Radan SAFARIK Gender Equality Unit Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic DE Germany Nicole HERZOG Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend DK Denmark Lasse HØJBJERG HELSTED Ministry for Gender Equality and Ecclesiastical Affairs EE Estonia Käthlin SANDER Gender Equality Department Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia EL Greece Stamatina KAFATSAKI Ministry of Employment and Social Protection ESF Actions Co-ordination & Monitoring Authority Maria EFTHYMIOY Ministry of Employment and Social Protection General Directorate of Work 19

20 ES Spain Mercedes Alicia FERNÁNDEZ PÉREZ Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad José Angel CAMARA CASTRO Subdirección General para la Igualdad en la Empresa y la Negociación Colectiva Dirección General de Igualdad de Oportunidades Secretaría de Estado de Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, FI Finland Reetta SIUKOLA Ministry of Social Affairs and Health FR France Geneviève ZDROJEWSKI Service des Droits des Femmes et de l Egalité HU Hungary Orsolya MAKÁR Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (Szociális és Munkaügyi Minisztérium) Unit of Gender Equality IE Ireland Pauline M. MOREAU, Gender Equality Division, Department of Justice and Equality IT Italy Barbara SICLARI Ministry of Labour and Social Politics Tiziana LANG Ministry of Labour and Social Politics LT Lithuania Mrs. Vanda JURŠĖNIENĖ Ministry of Social Security and Labour LU Luxembourg Maddy MULHEIMS Ministère de l'egalité des Chances LV Latvia Agnese GAILE Ministry of Welfare MT Malta Romina BARTOLO Kummissjoni Nazzjonali għall-promozzjoni ta l-ugwaljanza NL The Netherlands Charles DE VRIES Ministry of Education, Culture and Science Directorate for Emancipation PL Poland Jacqueline KACPRZAK Department of Economic Analyses and Forecasting Ministry of Labour and Social Policy 20

21 PT Portugal Manuela MARINHO Commissão para a Cidadania e Igualdade de Género (CIG) RO Romania Cristina FOMETESCU National Agency for Equal Opportunites between Men and Women SE Sweden Lina NILSSON Division for Gender Equality Ministry of Education SI Slovenia Sara SLANA Equal opportunity and European coordination service Ministry for Labour, Family and Social Affairs Maruša GORTNAR Equal opportunity and European coordination service Ministry for Labour, Family and Social Affairs SK Slovakia Olga PIETRUCHOVA Department of Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family UK United Kingdom Charles RAMSDEN EU Policy Government Equalities Office Home Office Candidate & Acceding countries HR Croatia Tamara ŠTERK Office of Gender Equality MK Republic of Macedonia Elena GROZDANOVA Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Merdita SALIU Ministry of Labour and Social Policy TR Turkey Hülya TEKİN (contact point) EU Coordination Department Ministry of Labour and Social Security İbrahim BAŞAR (alternate) EU Coordination Department RS Republic of Serbia Nikola RASKOVIC Ministry of Labour and Social Policy 21

22 IS Iceland EFTA-EEA countries Ingi Valur JÓHANNSSON Department of Labour Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Security LI Liechtenstein Rahel SCHATZMANN Office of Gender Equality NO Norway Kåre Petter SØRLIEN Mission of Norway to the European Union 22

23 ANNEX II - OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK PROGRESS Ultimate Outcome Member States implement laws, policies and practices in a manner that contributes to the desired outcomes of the Social Agenda PROGRESS works toward its ultimate outcome by helping strengthen the EU s support for Member States' efforts to create more and better jobs and to build a more cohesive society. PROGRESS seeks to contribute to (i) an effective legal regime in the EU in relation to the Social Agenda; (ii) shared understanding across the EU with regard to Social Agenda objectives; and (iii) strong partnerships working toward Social Agenda objectives. In operational terms, support provided by PROGRESS facilitates (i) provision of analysis and policy advice; (ii) monitoring and reporting on the implementation of EU legislation and policies; (iii) policy transfer, learning and support among Member States; and (iv) relaying to decision-makers the views of the stakeholders and society at large. Legal Regime Outcome: Compliance in Member States with EU law related to PROGRESS areas. Performance Indicators 1. Transposition rate of EU law on matters related to PROGRESS policy areas 2. Effectiveness of application in Member States of EU law on matters related to PROGRESS policy areas. 3. EU policies and legislation are grounded in thorough analysis of situation and responsive to conditions, needs and expectations in Member States in PROGRESS areas 4. Extent to which PROGRESS-supported policy advice feeds into the development and implementation of EU legislation and policies 5. Cross-cutting issues are addressed in PROGRESS policy sections 6. EU policies and legislation display a common underlying logic of intervention in relation to PROGRESS issues 7. Gender mainstreaming is systematically promoted in PROGRESS Shared Understanding Outcome: Shared understanding and ownership among policy/decision-makers and stakeholders in Member States, and the Commission, of objectives related to PROGRESS policy areas. Performance Indicators 1. Attitudes of decision-makers, key stakeholders and general public regarding EU objectives in PROGRESS policy areas 2. Extent to which national policy discourses or priorities reflect EU objectives 3. Extent to which principles of good governance (including minimum standards on consultation) are respected in policy debate 4. Extent to which the outcomes of policy debates feed into the development of EU law and policy. 5. Greater awareness of policy-and decision-makers, social partners, NGOs, networks regarding their rights/obligations s in relation to PROGRESS policy areas 6. Greater awareness of policy-and decision-makers, social partners, NGOs, networks regarding EU objectives and policies in relation to PROGRESS policy areas Strong Partnerships Outcome: Effective partnerships with national and pan- European stakeholders in support of outcomes related to PROGRESS policy areas. Performance Indicators 1. Existence of common ground/consensus among policy and decision-makers and stakeholders on EU objectives and policies 2. Identification and involvement by the EU of key actors in a position to exert influence or change at EU and national levels 3. Effectiveness of partnerships in relation to outcomes related to PROGRESS policy areas. 4. Number of individuals served or reached by networks supported by PROGRESS. 5. Extent to which advocacy skills of PROGRESSsupported networks have improved 6. Satisfaction of EU and national authorities with the contribution of networks 7. Extent to which PROGRESS-supported networks take a cross-cutting approach